sometimes when something is a great effort and challenging in ways beyond imagining, people, well many people, will tell you to - give up, let it go, think about yourself, why complicate your life, etc.
and when you face your limitations and your fears, and question your sanity, yet persevere, continuing to question and to face your limitations while reaching out; and you listen to those couple of voices who oppose the cacophony of naysayers and you are encouraged to persevere.
then you come to realize that questions will always be, and limitations are good, and this is all necessary to live in faith so that you may move beyond perseverance to a living hope.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
what is freedom?
with july 4th having just past, i pause to reflect on the meaning of freedom. according to the dictionary freedom means: to be at liberty rather than in confinement or under restraint, to be exempt from external control or regulation, the power to determine for oneself and the opportunity to exercise that power. so we could say that freedom is the ability to say and live the old revolutionary motto “don’t tread on me”.
we can say “don’t tread on me”, “don’t box me in”, “don’t impose your rules on me" because we recognize freedom as a natural right. yet we can only recognize the right to freedom, because we have come to the realization that freedom is a gift given to us by God.
there is a popular song from the 60’s that goes like this - “born free, as free as the grass grows, as free as the wind blows, born free to follow your heart”. and that’s the truth, we are born free. this innate gift of freedom includes the ability to make choices. not simply choices like “do i want vanilla or chocolate ice cream” but much greater choices, choices that truly matter – that is the ability to make ethical choices, to be moral agents, the expression of our God-given “free will”. moral choices, unlike choosing between vanilla or chocolate ice cream, affect our lives and the lives of others in deeply meaningful and lasting ways.
one primary moral choice we make is to allow others their right to be free. this is an important point of understanding for those who choose to follow Jesus. in the gospel of luke Jesus reads from the prophet isaiah telling us He is the one anointed "to bring the good news to the poor and to let the oppressed go free", and He tell us “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” in proclaiming this good news Jesus is telling us that we are free, and that no one has the right to oppress God's children or deny our birthright.
this is contrary to the ways of the world, where the powerful and privileged do as they please regardless of how it affects others. it is contrary to popular notions of freedom, which confuse freedom with simply doing your own thing without regard to others. so the freedom Jesus brings is dangerous to cultural assumptions, because Jesus defines freedom, true freedom, as something very different. He is not simply restating the often misunderstood revolutionary motto “don’t tread on me”, rather Jesus is proclaiming that true freedom is found in the motto “don’t tread on others”. because freedom isn’t just recognizing our individual right to make choices for our selves, rather freedom, if its real, allows others the right to determine for themselves which path they will follow.
if in my freedom I am treading on another, than I have become the oppressor, robbing the other of the good news that the Messiah has come to release us from all bondage: including the bondage to customs, and the bondage to self. think about what paul wrote in Galatians “for you were called to freedom but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for selfish indulgence”, because real freedom is found in, and expressed through, making moral choices. we live in a world filled with other creatures, human and animal. we live in a world where every person has been born free, a world where every creature is a child of God. real freedom means recognizing that truth and acting accordingly; “don’t tread on others” because it’s really not all about you.
to our contemporary american ears that might sound a bit off since everything in our consumer culture tells us – "yes freedom is all about you", well all about your indulging yourself in whatever pleasures or pursuits you wish, without regard to there impact on others. typically because someone is making a nice profit off our self-absorption. we have been duped into believing that freedom is the ability to indulge ourselves in whatever external pleasures we will. “don’t tread on me” becomes “I’ll do whatever I wish regardless of how it affects other people or the earth”.
so many of our seemingly harmless self indulgences do negatively impact on the earth and on other people. but if we don't take the time to look we can remain conveniently unaware of it. so much easier to remain unaware and pretend that absolves us from what we do. and if need be we can always point the finger at someone else and wash our hands of the matter. its nice to have someone else to put the blame on, pontius pilate felt the same way.
paul explains what real freedom is- "for the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. sound familiar? perhaps because Jesus said the same thing. real freedom, freedom from customs and self, is found in loving others as an extension of yourself. a radical thought, at least in context of our contemporary consumer-driven lifestyles. paul goes on to warn us if we choice to use our freedom as a pretext for selfishness we will in the end bring about our own ruin and the ruin of others.
so let's celebrate our freedom, and reflect on the freedom Jesus calls us too. not a right or gift we hold to ourselves, but one that all share in by God-given birthright; and let us reflect on the manner and means by which we are living our lives in context of love, remembering, as paul also writes "the only thing that counts is faith working through love". its the only thing that ultimately matters, the only way to really be free and live freely; for in truth “none are free, till all are free”.
© 2011 Halley Low
we can say “don’t tread on me”, “don’t box me in”, “don’t impose your rules on me" because we recognize freedom as a natural right. yet we can only recognize the right to freedom, because we have come to the realization that freedom is a gift given to us by God.
there is a popular song from the 60’s that goes like this - “born free, as free as the grass grows, as free as the wind blows, born free to follow your heart”. and that’s the truth, we are born free. this innate gift of freedom includes the ability to make choices. not simply choices like “do i want vanilla or chocolate ice cream” but much greater choices, choices that truly matter – that is the ability to make ethical choices, to be moral agents, the expression of our God-given “free will”. moral choices, unlike choosing between vanilla or chocolate ice cream, affect our lives and the lives of others in deeply meaningful and lasting ways.
one primary moral choice we make is to allow others their right to be free. this is an important point of understanding for those who choose to follow Jesus. in the gospel of luke Jesus reads from the prophet isaiah telling us He is the one anointed "to bring the good news to the poor and to let the oppressed go free", and He tell us “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” in proclaiming this good news Jesus is telling us that we are free, and that no one has the right to oppress God's children or deny our birthright.
this is contrary to the ways of the world, where the powerful and privileged do as they please regardless of how it affects others. it is contrary to popular notions of freedom, which confuse freedom with simply doing your own thing without regard to others. so the freedom Jesus brings is dangerous to cultural assumptions, because Jesus defines freedom, true freedom, as something very different. He is not simply restating the often misunderstood revolutionary motto “don’t tread on me”, rather Jesus is proclaiming that true freedom is found in the motto “don’t tread on others”. because freedom isn’t just recognizing our individual right to make choices for our selves, rather freedom, if its real, allows others the right to determine for themselves which path they will follow.
if in my freedom I am treading on another, than I have become the oppressor, robbing the other of the good news that the Messiah has come to release us from all bondage: including the bondage to customs, and the bondage to self. think about what paul wrote in Galatians “for you were called to freedom but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for selfish indulgence”, because real freedom is found in, and expressed through, making moral choices. we live in a world filled with other creatures, human and animal. we live in a world where every person has been born free, a world where every creature is a child of God. real freedom means recognizing that truth and acting accordingly; “don’t tread on others” because it’s really not all about you.
to our contemporary american ears that might sound a bit off since everything in our consumer culture tells us – "yes freedom is all about you", well all about your indulging yourself in whatever pleasures or pursuits you wish, without regard to there impact on others. typically because someone is making a nice profit off our self-absorption. we have been duped into believing that freedom is the ability to indulge ourselves in whatever external pleasures we will. “don’t tread on me” becomes “I’ll do whatever I wish regardless of how it affects other people or the earth”.
so many of our seemingly harmless self indulgences do negatively impact on the earth and on other people. but if we don't take the time to look we can remain conveniently unaware of it. so much easier to remain unaware and pretend that absolves us from what we do. and if need be we can always point the finger at someone else and wash our hands of the matter. its nice to have someone else to put the blame on, pontius pilate felt the same way.
paul explains what real freedom is- "for the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “you shall love your neighbor as yourself”. sound familiar? perhaps because Jesus said the same thing. real freedom, freedom from customs and self, is found in loving others as an extension of yourself. a radical thought, at least in context of our contemporary consumer-driven lifestyles. paul goes on to warn us if we choice to use our freedom as a pretext for selfishness we will in the end bring about our own ruin and the ruin of others.
so let's celebrate our freedom, and reflect on the freedom Jesus calls us too. not a right or gift we hold to ourselves, but one that all share in by God-given birthright; and let us reflect on the manner and means by which we are living our lives in context of love, remembering, as paul also writes "the only thing that counts is faith working through love". its the only thing that ultimately matters, the only way to really be free and live freely; for in truth “none are free, till all are free”.
© 2011 Halley Low
Friday, May 6, 2011
the church has no volunteers - oh my
hey, did you hear the news, the church has no volunteers. nope, not a one, what are we going to do??? but don’t be alarmed, there’s nothing to worry about. yep, absolutely nothing to worry about because the church doesn’t need volunteers. the reason for that is because we have more then enough ministers to do all the work of the church.
see my friends, Jesus never called anyone to be a volunteer. in fact you will not find the word “volunteer” in any of the gospels in the new testament. Jesus doesn’t want volunteers. The army and rotary club call for volunteers, but Jesus calls disciples.
a disciple is someone who response to Jesus’ call to follow Him, in fact that’s what the word disciple means – one who follows. and Jesus calls His disciples to follow His example. there's a story in john’s gospel where Jesus washes the feet of His followers and says to them, “I have given you example, do as I have done - serve one another.”
Jesus came as a servant to humanity, and bids us to follow Him and become servants too. so if you are a follower (disciple) of Christ, then you are a servant too. and did you know that the word “minister” comes from the Latin “to serve”, so a minister is a servant, and all Christ’s true followers are therefore ministers. yep, the church is chock full of ministers – me, you, the guy who sits next to you in the pew, the woman handing you the hammer at a mission project, the girl standing next to you in the praise band or choir, all of us – ministers of Christ, called to serve one another, and to serve God by participating in God's work of healing our broken hearts and broken world.
so the next time someone asks you to volunteer to do something for the church, just tell them, “sorry i’m not a volunteer, i’m a minister of Christ - so what is it you need me to do?”
© 2011 Halley Low
see my friends, Jesus never called anyone to be a volunteer. in fact you will not find the word “volunteer” in any of the gospels in the new testament. Jesus doesn’t want volunteers. The army and rotary club call for volunteers, but Jesus calls disciples.
a disciple is someone who response to Jesus’ call to follow Him, in fact that’s what the word disciple means – one who follows. and Jesus calls His disciples to follow His example. there's a story in john’s gospel where Jesus washes the feet of His followers and says to them, “I have given you example, do as I have done - serve one another.”
Jesus came as a servant to humanity, and bids us to follow Him and become servants too. so if you are a follower (disciple) of Christ, then you are a servant too. and did you know that the word “minister” comes from the Latin “to serve”, so a minister is a servant, and all Christ’s true followers are therefore ministers. yep, the church is chock full of ministers – me, you, the guy who sits next to you in the pew, the woman handing you the hammer at a mission project, the girl standing next to you in the praise band or choir, all of us – ministers of Christ, called to serve one another, and to serve God by participating in God's work of healing our broken hearts and broken world.
so the next time someone asks you to volunteer to do something for the church, just tell them, “sorry i’m not a volunteer, i’m a minister of Christ - so what is it you need me to do?”
© 2011 Halley Low
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
living outside the cocoon
life in Christ is like the life of a caterpillar after it emerges from it’s cocoon transformed into something new and beautiful. the transformation takes place within the silent stillness of the cocoon, but if the caterpillar doesn’t brake out of the cocoon and fly up into the sunlight, the beauty of its wings will never be realized, and the freedom of its new life never experienced. it will never embrace the flowers, drinking of their nectar and assisting them in their process of pollination. if it chooses to stay in the silent safety of the cocoon the caterpillar will have only lived half a life. if it chooses to stay in the cocoon it will separate itself from life and die of hunger.
sadly, too many people follow the path of the reluctant caterpillar, crawling along until they find a comfortable spot then wrapping themselves in a private cocoon. within their personal cocoon they “get stuck”, perhaps by fear or hurt, yet whatever the reason their transformation stops short of realization, and inwardly they die of hunger a little more each day.
this is sad, for Christ came that we might have “life abundantly”. through His resurrection Jesus broke out of the cocoon and bids us to follow Him into the process of living abundantly; as life in abundance can only be lived outside of the cocoon. to stay in the cocoon is to remain separated and isolated, to live outside the cocoon is to live in connection and relationship.
living in connection is living in reciprocity. living in connection with the whole of creation means being part of something greater than oneself. living in connection with God empowers us to move from one point of being to a new point of being progressively, and not just for our individual sakes but for all that we touch in the interactive process of living in Christ. think about the butterfly, it takes life in the form of nectar from the flower and gives new life in the form of pollination to flowers yet to unfold. this is Christ’s invitation to all people – to break out of the old, to live boldly in the new, to take each moment as an opportunity to give and through the giving received more then we had before.
the essence of a christian life is a life that is connected, interactive and inter-dependent. no one can be a christian in isolation. Jesus didn’t come to guide us in a way of individualistic or narcissistic mysticism; He came to create a new and universal community, to open eyes that have been blinded by self-centeredness in order to see the glory of God that surrounds us and to take part in that glory, to heal hearts of loneliness by giving of Himself that we may have life and have it abundantly.
living in Christ is not about sitting in the corner reciting “praise Jesus” all day, rather living in Christ is about engaging life in all its grandeur, and even its brokenness, for engagement is true praise. living in Christ is about being part of the process of healing and transformation that flows from the heart of God manifesting in our actions. this is why when Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were waiting for Him, He responded “my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” the word of God is active and creative and calls us to action, not to standing about waiting, but to be connected to the work of God – for God’s word and God’s work are one. “be not a hearer of the word but a doer”, follow Jesus out of the cocoon and live connected that you may have an abundant life; remembering that abundance is not about quantity but quality. for as a wise man said long ago – “it is in giving that we receive, in forgiving that we are forgiven, and in dying to self that be are born to true life”.
© 2011 Halley Low
sadly, too many people follow the path of the reluctant caterpillar, crawling along until they find a comfortable spot then wrapping themselves in a private cocoon. within their personal cocoon they “get stuck”, perhaps by fear or hurt, yet whatever the reason their transformation stops short of realization, and inwardly they die of hunger a little more each day.
this is sad, for Christ came that we might have “life abundantly”. through His resurrection Jesus broke out of the cocoon and bids us to follow Him into the process of living abundantly; as life in abundance can only be lived outside of the cocoon. to stay in the cocoon is to remain separated and isolated, to live outside the cocoon is to live in connection and relationship.
living in connection is living in reciprocity. living in connection with the whole of creation means being part of something greater than oneself. living in connection with God empowers us to move from one point of being to a new point of being progressively, and not just for our individual sakes but for all that we touch in the interactive process of living in Christ. think about the butterfly, it takes life in the form of nectar from the flower and gives new life in the form of pollination to flowers yet to unfold. this is Christ’s invitation to all people – to break out of the old, to live boldly in the new, to take each moment as an opportunity to give and through the giving received more then we had before.
the essence of a christian life is a life that is connected, interactive and inter-dependent. no one can be a christian in isolation. Jesus didn’t come to guide us in a way of individualistic or narcissistic mysticism; He came to create a new and universal community, to open eyes that have been blinded by self-centeredness in order to see the glory of God that surrounds us and to take part in that glory, to heal hearts of loneliness by giving of Himself that we may have life and have it abundantly.
living in Christ is not about sitting in the corner reciting “praise Jesus” all day, rather living in Christ is about engaging life in all its grandeur, and even its brokenness, for engagement is true praise. living in Christ is about being part of the process of healing and transformation that flows from the heart of God manifesting in our actions. this is why when Jesus was told that His mother and brothers were waiting for Him, He responded “my mother and brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it.” the word of God is active and creative and calls us to action, not to standing about waiting, but to be connected to the work of God – for God’s word and God’s work are one. “be not a hearer of the word but a doer”, follow Jesus out of the cocoon and live connected that you may have an abundant life; remembering that abundance is not about quantity but quality. for as a wise man said long ago – “it is in giving that we receive, in forgiving that we are forgiven, and in dying to self that be are born to true life”.
© 2011 Halley Low
Saturday, April 23, 2011
an easter people
we say - "Jesus Christ is risen, He is risen indeed". we say it every easter. and we profess to be - "an easter people", meaning a people of new life, risen life, a people who are free thanks to our risen Savior. this is our faith, this is our hope, that through the rising of Jesus we are part of a new creation, participants in the unfolding kingdom of God, which Jesus declared is within us. and on easter day we proclaim all this in song and prayer with boldness.
then monday comes, then tuesday, and for many of us the bold proclamations about Christ our risen Lord, and our bold assertions about being an easter people become private murmurs, and even sometimes fade with the setting sun of doubt.
why does our boldness fade and our doubt resound? if asked this to our face, most of us would proclaim again with our lips – "Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. we are an easter people". but, so long as we are not asked, not challenged, not put on the spot to profess our belief, well, for most of us, we just don’t talk about it much, and frankly don’t live it very much. i mean live as an easter people, a people rising in new life.
the symbol of the butterfly emerging from the safety of the cocoon has a long tradition in the church. it's such a perfect natural analogy for the resurrection – the ordinary caterpillar encased in a cocoon, all brown and still and seemingly lifeless; meanwhile deep within a transformation is unfolding, a miracle which no eyes can see happens in the silent darkness; than suddenly the seemingly hard shell of the cocoon is ruptured, and one of God’s most inspiring creatures ascends into the air.
but what happens to the caterpillar who remains within the seeming safety of the cocoon, who is unwilling or unable to break through? we all know what happened don’t we, the caterpillar is dead, and the cocoon – the miraculous womb of transformation - has indeed become a tomb.
sadly, just as with the caterpillar, this happens with christians too. wrapped in the seeming safety of a comfortable building, be it a home or a sanctuary, we remain unwilling to break through the boundaries, choosing instead to remain where we are, in seeming security, apart from the world, apart from each other, apart from ourselves, and even apart from God. oh we love God and we say we believe, but please don’t push me out of my comfort zone, please don’t ask me to see things in a different light, as my comfort zone is tight but seems manageable, and my eyes have become so accustomed to the dim light of my insecure faith that I dare not open myself to the light of the Spirit, lest I be moved, in particular moved out of my comfort zone and into the new day with its uncomfortable bright light.
think a moment, what if Jesus had chosen that path. imagine if lying in the cool dark tomb Jesus decided to stay put. after all, hadn’t he had just about as much as any one could take of the human race, and our double dealing and double standards? Why should he risk, again, to go back into the world and speak to hearts and heal wounds, a world who didn’t understand him, a world that was afraid of him because he challenged the world to see things in a different light? What if he decided “oh the heck with it and the heck with them, I’m staying put, its been a long and truly exhausting day and my feet hurt. nevermind my aching hands and the pain in my side.”
yeah i know, it’s a funny thought, but what if he decided to stay in the tomb. to not risk it again. after all He didn’t have to rise, in fact He didn’t have to die, or even be born. God isn’t under compulsion, God doesn’t have to do anything (even though quite a number of us think and act as if God is somehow obligated to do whatever we ask, and for some reason destined to give us more than we have already received) yet in truth, despite our grandiose assumptions, God don’t have to do nuttin’. God doesn’t have to give us life or salvation, and just because God is eternal is no reason that we have to be eternal.
yet…God chooses to do something: God chose to be born as one of us, and God chose to die with us, and God chose to rise up to new and transformed life so that through Him we may rise and be made new. and not just in some distant, or not so distant, future, but in the here and now, in this life, in this very moment, to create a new day, to proclaim as living reality a new kingdom of mercy and love, to call a people to His cross and ask us to share in His cross that we may share in His new life, to break free of the tomb of self-righteousness, and fly free and beautiful - like a butterfly.
meanwhile so many of us, His easter people, are unwilling to follow Him out of the tomb and into the glorious new light. why? why do we choose to claim Him as our Lord, yet live our lives relatively unchanged, still absorbed in our personal pursuits and our cultural bias, not willing to risk, but content to roll that stone right back over our tombs?
in john’s gospel we encounter three people willing to look into Jesus' tomb and witness the miracle that it had in fact become a womb. isn’t it interesting that of the three, which included the one Jesus loved and the one whom Jesus said “upon this rock a will build my church”, the first one Jesus appears too, the first one Jesus makes the miracle of the tomb become a womb clear too - is a woman; and not just any woman but one who had been greatly troubled, or as the scriptures read “plagued by seven evil spirits”. think about the cultural realities of that time – a woman, whom a man is not suppose to speak too, a troubled woman who had been shunned by many, this person of all people is the first Jesus chose to reveal His risen Self too. and not only reveal Himself but commission her to go forth and tell others of this great event. He stepped out of the tomb and directly into the proverbial frying pan, breaking both the chains of death and the chains of convention. nature says “all things die” Jesus says “not die, transform”. society says “propriety”, Jesus says “honesty”. nature says “it is what it is”, Jesus says “it is as the Father wills”. society says “the status quo is the way to go”, Jesus says “the status quo has got to go”.
and yet even today there are those in the church that attempt to use "tradition" as a tomb in which to kept things mummified. they say “women in the pulpit, outrageous”. yet it was a woman entrusted to be the first to proclaim the good news. it was a woman who was told ““I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. His Father is her father, His God her God. i am reminded of another story from the Hebrew scriptures – the story of ruth and naomi, which is a story about an adoptive family. ruth, as a sign of her love and devotion to her adoptive mother, says to naomi “your people will be my people, your God my God” – a declaration of the creation of a new family. And here in john's gospel Jesus speaks to a woman, telling her the same thing ruth spoke to Naomi – you have been adopted into a new family - the family of God in Christ.
now in the book of acts, peter - the rock, so named for the rocks in his head, had a vision in which the Holy Spirit breaks open his rock head that he may perceive the great truth – that faith in the risen Christ is not the exclusive domain of the jews, or men, or a select few, but is to be witnessed to all; and all who accept the Lordship of Jesus may walk out of the tomb of self-satisfaction and into the faith that inspires a new dawn within the heart of the believer. Think about the profundity of peter speaking the truth unveiled to him by the Spirit saying “i truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. you know the message God sent to the people of Israel…Jesus Christ – He is Lord of all…we are witnesses…chosen by God … that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name.”
now peter could have remained in the tomb of his ancestors, he could have clung to the seeming safety of this cultural bias that cloaked itself as religious imperative; but prompted by the Holy Spirit he emerged from the boundaries of cultural and religious tradition, and became a free man by proclaiming the truth of the freedom that is open to all in Jesus Christ.
now the Spirit is still with us, the Spirit is still prompting us to new visions and to dream new dreams, as proclaimed by the prophets of old. will we remain unmoved in the safety of our cultural and religious cocoons. or will we take the risk, as peter did, and break out of the bonds of tradition into the new and different light of God’s unfolding kingdom? only you can answer Christ’s call to new life, only you, by surrender to the power of the Spirit, can break free of the chains that bind you and fly, as a butterfly, into the light of the new day – the day of Christ our risen Lord, and boldly live as the easter people we proclaim ourselves to be this day. and not only for today, but also for monday and tuesday and everyday of our lives, in this world and the next.
glory be to God and to our risen Savior and to the Transforming Spirit, and the easter people of God say – AMEN!
© 2011 Halley Low
then monday comes, then tuesday, and for many of us the bold proclamations about Christ our risen Lord, and our bold assertions about being an easter people become private murmurs, and even sometimes fade with the setting sun of doubt.
why does our boldness fade and our doubt resound? if asked this to our face, most of us would proclaim again with our lips – "Christ is risen, he is risen indeed. we are an easter people". but, so long as we are not asked, not challenged, not put on the spot to profess our belief, well, for most of us, we just don’t talk about it much, and frankly don’t live it very much. i mean live as an easter people, a people rising in new life.
the symbol of the butterfly emerging from the safety of the cocoon has a long tradition in the church. it's such a perfect natural analogy for the resurrection – the ordinary caterpillar encased in a cocoon, all brown and still and seemingly lifeless; meanwhile deep within a transformation is unfolding, a miracle which no eyes can see happens in the silent darkness; than suddenly the seemingly hard shell of the cocoon is ruptured, and one of God’s most inspiring creatures ascends into the air.
but what happens to the caterpillar who remains within the seeming safety of the cocoon, who is unwilling or unable to break through? we all know what happened don’t we, the caterpillar is dead, and the cocoon – the miraculous womb of transformation - has indeed become a tomb.
sadly, just as with the caterpillar, this happens with christians too. wrapped in the seeming safety of a comfortable building, be it a home or a sanctuary, we remain unwilling to break through the boundaries, choosing instead to remain where we are, in seeming security, apart from the world, apart from each other, apart from ourselves, and even apart from God. oh we love God and we say we believe, but please don’t push me out of my comfort zone, please don’t ask me to see things in a different light, as my comfort zone is tight but seems manageable, and my eyes have become so accustomed to the dim light of my insecure faith that I dare not open myself to the light of the Spirit, lest I be moved, in particular moved out of my comfort zone and into the new day with its uncomfortable bright light.
think a moment, what if Jesus had chosen that path. imagine if lying in the cool dark tomb Jesus decided to stay put. after all, hadn’t he had just about as much as any one could take of the human race, and our double dealing and double standards? Why should he risk, again, to go back into the world and speak to hearts and heal wounds, a world who didn’t understand him, a world that was afraid of him because he challenged the world to see things in a different light? What if he decided “oh the heck with it and the heck with them, I’m staying put, its been a long and truly exhausting day and my feet hurt. nevermind my aching hands and the pain in my side.”
yeah i know, it’s a funny thought, but what if he decided to stay in the tomb. to not risk it again. after all He didn’t have to rise, in fact He didn’t have to die, or even be born. God isn’t under compulsion, God doesn’t have to do anything (even though quite a number of us think and act as if God is somehow obligated to do whatever we ask, and for some reason destined to give us more than we have already received) yet in truth, despite our grandiose assumptions, God don’t have to do nuttin’. God doesn’t have to give us life or salvation, and just because God is eternal is no reason that we have to be eternal.
yet…God chooses to do something: God chose to be born as one of us, and God chose to die with us, and God chose to rise up to new and transformed life so that through Him we may rise and be made new. and not just in some distant, or not so distant, future, but in the here and now, in this life, in this very moment, to create a new day, to proclaim as living reality a new kingdom of mercy and love, to call a people to His cross and ask us to share in His cross that we may share in His new life, to break free of the tomb of self-righteousness, and fly free and beautiful - like a butterfly.
meanwhile so many of us, His easter people, are unwilling to follow Him out of the tomb and into the glorious new light. why? why do we choose to claim Him as our Lord, yet live our lives relatively unchanged, still absorbed in our personal pursuits and our cultural bias, not willing to risk, but content to roll that stone right back over our tombs?
in john’s gospel we encounter three people willing to look into Jesus' tomb and witness the miracle that it had in fact become a womb. isn’t it interesting that of the three, which included the one Jesus loved and the one whom Jesus said “upon this rock a will build my church”, the first one Jesus appears too, the first one Jesus makes the miracle of the tomb become a womb clear too - is a woman; and not just any woman but one who had been greatly troubled, or as the scriptures read “plagued by seven evil spirits”. think about the cultural realities of that time – a woman, whom a man is not suppose to speak too, a troubled woman who had been shunned by many, this person of all people is the first Jesus chose to reveal His risen Self too. and not only reveal Himself but commission her to go forth and tell others of this great event. He stepped out of the tomb and directly into the proverbial frying pan, breaking both the chains of death and the chains of convention. nature says “all things die” Jesus says “not die, transform”. society says “propriety”, Jesus says “honesty”. nature says “it is what it is”, Jesus says “it is as the Father wills”. society says “the status quo is the way to go”, Jesus says “the status quo has got to go”.
and yet even today there are those in the church that attempt to use "tradition" as a tomb in which to kept things mummified. they say “women in the pulpit, outrageous”. yet it was a woman entrusted to be the first to proclaim the good news. it was a woman who was told ““I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God”. His Father is her father, His God her God. i am reminded of another story from the Hebrew scriptures – the story of ruth and naomi, which is a story about an adoptive family. ruth, as a sign of her love and devotion to her adoptive mother, says to naomi “your people will be my people, your God my God” – a declaration of the creation of a new family. And here in john's gospel Jesus speaks to a woman, telling her the same thing ruth spoke to Naomi – you have been adopted into a new family - the family of God in Christ.
now in the book of acts, peter - the rock, so named for the rocks in his head, had a vision in which the Holy Spirit breaks open his rock head that he may perceive the great truth – that faith in the risen Christ is not the exclusive domain of the jews, or men, or a select few, but is to be witnessed to all; and all who accept the Lordship of Jesus may walk out of the tomb of self-satisfaction and into the faith that inspires a new dawn within the heart of the believer. Think about the profundity of peter speaking the truth unveiled to him by the Spirit saying “i truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him. you know the message God sent to the people of Israel…Jesus Christ – He is Lord of all…we are witnesses…chosen by God … that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through His Name.”
now peter could have remained in the tomb of his ancestors, he could have clung to the seeming safety of this cultural bias that cloaked itself as religious imperative; but prompted by the Holy Spirit he emerged from the boundaries of cultural and religious tradition, and became a free man by proclaiming the truth of the freedom that is open to all in Jesus Christ.
now the Spirit is still with us, the Spirit is still prompting us to new visions and to dream new dreams, as proclaimed by the prophets of old. will we remain unmoved in the safety of our cultural and religious cocoons. or will we take the risk, as peter did, and break out of the bonds of tradition into the new and different light of God’s unfolding kingdom? only you can answer Christ’s call to new life, only you, by surrender to the power of the Spirit, can break free of the chains that bind you and fly, as a butterfly, into the light of the new day – the day of Christ our risen Lord, and boldly live as the easter people we proclaim ourselves to be this day. and not only for today, but also for monday and tuesday and everyday of our lives, in this world and the next.
glory be to God and to our risen Savior and to the Transforming Spirit, and the easter people of God say – AMEN!
© 2011 Halley Low
Sunday, April 3, 2011
be like water (a pictorial essay)
the taoist say "the highest form of goodness is like water".
"water knows how to benefit all things" it does not strive with them, nor does it resist anything, it just flows,
and accomplishes its goal.
water is like the Spirit, it transforms and makes new.
the taoist say "heaven lasts long, and the earth abides...because
they do not live for themselves".
francis of assisi taught "it is in giving we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to life".
be like water,
be for others, and become your true self.
©2011 halley low
"water knows how to benefit all things" it does not strive with them, nor does it resist anything, it just flows,
and accomplishes its goal.
water is like the Spirit, it transforms and makes new.
they do not live for themselves".
francis of assisi taught "it is in giving we receive, in pardoning that we are pardoned, and in dying that we are born to life".
be like water,
be for others, and become your true self.
©2011 halley low
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
patience
it's the end of march, yet up here in the mountains the snow lingers and the wind still stings like the touch of ice. the fields remain brown, and i have yet to see a single crocus. so where is my beloved spring, where are it's renewing sights?
yet on this morning, this very ordinary morning, something is decidedly different. the winter mornings in the the mountains are as silent as snowfall. but not this morning! the air is electric with the soothing songs of the returning birds. my soul rejoices as i sit in my armchair, eyes closed, just listening to spring's sweet symphony.
the sounds prompt me to look again for the sights of spring, and with renewed hope my eyes see the buds beginning to emerge on the trees and lilac bushes. looking more closely at the brown fields i notice tiny hints of green. and the lingering snow is slowly melting, and the icy winds are transforming too. taking the time to listen and look with patience, i am assured that indeed spring is here.
©2011 Halley Low
yet on this morning, this very ordinary morning, something is decidedly different. the winter mornings in the the mountains are as silent as snowfall. but not this morning! the air is electric with the soothing songs of the returning birds. my soul rejoices as i sit in my armchair, eyes closed, just listening to spring's sweet symphony.
the sounds prompt me to look again for the sights of spring, and with renewed hope my eyes see the buds beginning to emerge on the trees and lilac bushes. looking more closely at the brown fields i notice tiny hints of green. and the lingering snow is slowly melting, and the icy winds are transforming too. taking the time to listen and look with patience, i am assured that indeed spring is here.
©2011 Halley Low
Sunday, March 20, 2011
don't give up, live up
(a lenten reflection)
lent is the time of year that many christians devote to spiritual preparation for the world altering event of good friday and easter sunday. for many that preparation is found in the act of giving up something, typically a physical enjoyment of some kind, as a sign of sacrifice and connecting with the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. Jesus did tell us to "denial yourself and pick up your cross". this directive is about moving away from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, just as Jesus laid down His life for others on the cross so that others might have the fullness of life. the tradition of "giving up" something for lent in rooted in this idea.
yet for many the "giving up" of something they like has become the exact opposite of the intention. how many of us have said, "i'm gonna give up sugar/ice cream/white flour/etc. for lent? we use lent as a reason to get our diet on track, to lose weight, or some other personal vanity. what happens to "sacrifice" when it is covertly used for selfish pursuits? remember the words of the prophet isaiah - " look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight...such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. is such the fast that I choose...a day acceptable to the Lord? is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your homes?"
God isn't calling us to "give up" but to "live up". live up to our call as disciples of Christ. live up to the commandment to "love our neighbors as ourselves". so instead of "sacrifices" that benefit our vanities, why not choose to use lent as a time for true preparation by living up to the call. maybe you will be drawn to visit a nursing home once a week, or to set time aside each day for bible study, or to put aside a dollar a day and on easter offer it to those in greatest need, or any number of actions that foster growth in the christian life. why not choose to put down the mask of "godliness" and pick up the crown of life, polishing it a bit with acts of kindness and love. this is the fast God desires - to be a blessing to others as a sign of the blessing you have received in Christ.
©2011 halley low
lent is the time of year that many christians devote to spiritual preparation for the world altering event of good friday and easter sunday. for many that preparation is found in the act of giving up something, typically a physical enjoyment of some kind, as a sign of sacrifice and connecting with the sufferings of Jesus on the cross. Jesus did tell us to "denial yourself and pick up your cross". this directive is about moving away from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, just as Jesus laid down His life for others on the cross so that others might have the fullness of life. the tradition of "giving up" something for lent in rooted in this idea.
yet for many the "giving up" of something they like has become the exact opposite of the intention. how many of us have said, "i'm gonna give up sugar/ice cream/white flour/etc. for lent? we use lent as a reason to get our diet on track, to lose weight, or some other personal vanity. what happens to "sacrifice" when it is covertly used for selfish pursuits? remember the words of the prophet isaiah - " look, you serve your own interest on your fast day, and oppress all your workers. look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight...such fasting as you do today will not make your voice heard on high. is such the fast that I choose...a day acceptable to the Lord? is not this the fast that I choose; to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your homes?"
God isn't calling us to "give up" but to "live up". live up to our call as disciples of Christ. live up to the commandment to "love our neighbors as ourselves". so instead of "sacrifices" that benefit our vanities, why not choose to use lent as a time for true preparation by living up to the call. maybe you will be drawn to visit a nursing home once a week, or to set time aside each day for bible study, or to put aside a dollar a day and on easter offer it to those in greatest need, or any number of actions that foster growth in the christian life. why not choose to put down the mask of "godliness" and pick up the crown of life, polishing it a bit with acts of kindness and love. this is the fast God desires - to be a blessing to others as a sign of the blessing you have received in Christ.
©2011 halley low
Monday, March 14, 2011
rainy days and mondays
a quiet morning, from my office window i can see the snow lightly falling, the flakes bouncing about in the gusty wind. the sky is gray and blanketed in clouds. a seemingly peaceful moment, coffee in hand, yet i can not stop wondering about japan, and how this tragedy has become a global crisis demanding global conversation and action.
throughout our conversations it is necessary to be mindful of the true nature of the global crisis unfolding in japan. the earthquake and its consequences are terrible, though japan has dealt with this before only to survive and thrive. what is different this time, what really threatens japan in the long run, what really threatens the globe in the long run, is what happens to those three reactors. the crisis is not from nature's hand or God's, but from the hand of humanity.
and if you are looking for God in all this, do not look for God in the fury of the wave, rather be elijah and discern God's movement in the reviving breeze. God is the God of the living, the God of life, who always chooses life and directs us to do the same (deuteronomy 30:19). God is always for us. let us be with God, Who is with us, and in wisdom serve God and love our neighbor by doing the right thing.
©2011 halley low
throughout our conversations it is necessary to be mindful of the true nature of the global crisis unfolding in japan. the earthquake and its consequences are terrible, though japan has dealt with this before only to survive and thrive. what is different this time, what really threatens japan in the long run, what really threatens the globe in the long run, is what happens to those three reactors. the crisis is not from nature's hand or God's, but from the hand of humanity.
and if you are looking for God in all this, do not look for God in the fury of the wave, rather be elijah and discern God's movement in the reviving breeze. God is the God of the living, the God of life, who always chooses life and directs us to do the same (deuteronomy 30:19). God is always for us. let us be with God, Who is with us, and in wisdom serve God and love our neighbor by doing the right thing.
©2011 halley low
Thursday, February 17, 2011
suicide is not painless
for those who may be unaware, feb. 22nd is national suicide awareness day. there are many reasons people of all ages attempt, and sometimes tragically succeed at, taking their own lives. i am not writing about the statistics, or how we can be of help to someone struggling with overwhelming emotional pain (for reflections on that regard see - the wounds that bind us, a God for failures, moments to live by). today i am writing to those who have lost a loved one to suicide, and to clergy and lay pastors.
both those who have lost someone to suicide, and clergy, struggle with the pain and confusion of the act of suicide. we may wonder to ourselves - "is suicide a sin?" "does a person go automatically to hell if he/she commits suicide?" let us honestly look at these related but very different questions. though before we do i want to be clear on one point, i am addressing suicide not euthanasia, we are not exploring issues of end-of-life decisions in this reflection, but suicide as an action taken in response to overwhelming despair and depression.
first, "is suicide a sin?" life is a great gift, more precious than gold or diamonds, and far more fragile than either of them. human life has a value beyond human measurement. to needlessly take a life is indeed a sin against the individual whose life has been cut short, and against the community who share in that life, and against God who gives life. so in that sense suicide is a sin.
now to the more pressing and painful question - "does a person enter eternal damnation if he/she commits suicide?" to begin with, there is nothing in the scriptures which states that God's love or mercy or forgiveness ends at the time of death. God is not bound by time. time, like all things, is a creation of God and God is not subject to creation. therefore, no one can rightly dictate what God will do, and no one can rightly limit when God can do whatever God wills to do. what we do know is that God is merciful and compassionate, and that God's compassion is "from ever-lasting to ever-lasting". we do know that God sees into the human heart, which is why God is the judge and we are not. we know that God is with us every moment, in our joys and sorrows, in our successes and our failures, in all things God is present with us.
do you think that in our times of greatest despair that God forsakes us? some traditions hold the reason suicide is a sin is because it is an act of despair and that despair is a sin. even if despair were a sin, and not a temporary emotional state of being, does that mean God steps out of the picture at that point? if one answers "yes" to that question then everything i wrote above, no matter how biblical it all is, is wrong. it would mean that God's compassion is limited, and that God is not with us always, and that frankly is blasphemy. if God abandoned us everytime we sinned, (and face it we are always sinning in one way or another), then we would be utterly without hope and already living in an unending state of "hell".
consider the words of paul, which he wrote during a time of great suffering in his life - "for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself." paul was so overwhelmed with despair that he felt it a "sentence of death". he goes on to write - "He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on Him we have set our hope that He will rescue us again". if God had abandoned paul because of his great despair then he would have had no hope. but paul did have hope because he knew that God is with us always and in everything, offering to rescue us again and again.
now paul was a man of great faith and insight, but do you suppose God has less or more compassion for those whose faith is weak or sight is poor? do we not proclaim that God sent His Son while we were "still yet sinners"? did not Jesus say that He came for the sick and the poor? did john not write "my little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."? did not paul also tell us that no thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ?
for a moment really try to imagine yourself in such a state of pain and at such a point of despair that suicide makes sense to you. imagine the intensity of the loneliness, the enclosing darkness, the dizzying sense of hopelessness and contradiction and confusion. imagine yourself so enveloped in such a state, that you become completely out of touch with yourself, with other people, and even with God, so that you can not see any light towards which you can crawl.
now i ask you, would the God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us, and not to condemn us, walk out on you at that moment? absolutely not. it is in those moments of great struggle and those times of greatest failure that God is holding us most tenderly, and crying, as only a mother who loves her children unconditionally would do, as only a God whose love is steadfast and whose mercy endures forever can do.
no one can know the fate of another, but we do know that God is compassionate and merciful, and that our hope in Jesus Christ is true and real. We know also that God is not bound by time nor are God's acts of mercy and love.
those entrusted with the duty to proclaim the good news, most particularly clergy and lay pastors, be sure you are proclaiming the good news. for if you are proclaiming judgment then you are claiming for yourself the position of judge. and if you declare condemnation, take care that you are not condemning yourself. for the truth is God is the judge, the only one fit to be judge, for God alone looks into the heart with eyes of infinite wisdom and compassion. if you think that talk of condemnation will keep some one else from committing suicide you are wrong, for such talk denies hope, and to deny hope is to deny Christ.
therefore, ministers of God when you speak to the living about their dead take care not to mistake "your truth" for the truth. be sure to think and pray before you speak, "for truth without compassion is brutality". if ever people need to hear the good news it is at such a time as this - the good news of the real and living hope we have in Jesus, and the truth that no thing in heaven or on earth can ever separate us from the love of God.
©2011 halley low
both those who have lost someone to suicide, and clergy, struggle with the pain and confusion of the act of suicide. we may wonder to ourselves - "is suicide a sin?" "does a person go automatically to hell if he/she commits suicide?" let us honestly look at these related but very different questions. though before we do i want to be clear on one point, i am addressing suicide not euthanasia, we are not exploring issues of end-of-life decisions in this reflection, but suicide as an action taken in response to overwhelming despair and depression.
first, "is suicide a sin?" life is a great gift, more precious than gold or diamonds, and far more fragile than either of them. human life has a value beyond human measurement. to needlessly take a life is indeed a sin against the individual whose life has been cut short, and against the community who share in that life, and against God who gives life. so in that sense suicide is a sin.
now to the more pressing and painful question - "does a person enter eternal damnation if he/she commits suicide?" to begin with, there is nothing in the scriptures which states that God's love or mercy or forgiveness ends at the time of death. God is not bound by time. time, like all things, is a creation of God and God is not subject to creation. therefore, no one can rightly dictate what God will do, and no one can rightly limit when God can do whatever God wills to do. what we do know is that God is merciful and compassionate, and that God's compassion is "from ever-lasting to ever-lasting". we do know that God sees into the human heart, which is why God is the judge and we are not. we know that God is with us every moment, in our joys and sorrows, in our successes and our failures, in all things God is present with us.
do you think that in our times of greatest despair that God forsakes us? some traditions hold the reason suicide is a sin is because it is an act of despair and that despair is a sin. even if despair were a sin, and not a temporary emotional state of being, does that mean God steps out of the picture at that point? if one answers "yes" to that question then everything i wrote above, no matter how biblical it all is, is wrong. it would mean that God's compassion is limited, and that God is not with us always, and that frankly is blasphemy. if God abandoned us everytime we sinned, (and face it we are always sinning in one way or another), then we would be utterly without hope and already living in an unending state of "hell".
consider the words of paul, which he wrote during a time of great suffering in his life - "for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself." paul was so overwhelmed with despair that he felt it a "sentence of death". he goes on to write - "He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on Him we have set our hope that He will rescue us again". if God had abandoned paul because of his great despair then he would have had no hope. but paul did have hope because he knew that God is with us always and in everything, offering to rescue us again and again.
now paul was a man of great faith and insight, but do you suppose God has less or more compassion for those whose faith is weak or sight is poor? do we not proclaim that God sent His Son while we were "still yet sinners"? did not Jesus say that He came for the sick and the poor? did john not write "my little children, i am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. but if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."? did not paul also tell us that no thing can separate us from the love of God in Christ?
for a moment really try to imagine yourself in such a state of pain and at such a point of despair that suicide makes sense to you. imagine the intensity of the loneliness, the enclosing darkness, the dizzying sense of hopelessness and contradiction and confusion. imagine yourself so enveloped in such a state, that you become completely out of touch with yourself, with other people, and even with God, so that you can not see any light towards which you can crawl.
now i ask you, would the God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us, and not to condemn us, walk out on you at that moment? absolutely not. it is in those moments of great struggle and those times of greatest failure that God is holding us most tenderly, and crying, as only a mother who loves her children unconditionally would do, as only a God whose love is steadfast and whose mercy endures forever can do.
no one can know the fate of another, but we do know that God is compassionate and merciful, and that our hope in Jesus Christ is true and real. We know also that God is not bound by time nor are God's acts of mercy and love.
those entrusted with the duty to proclaim the good news, most particularly clergy and lay pastors, be sure you are proclaiming the good news. for if you are proclaiming judgment then you are claiming for yourself the position of judge. and if you declare condemnation, take care that you are not condemning yourself. for the truth is God is the judge, the only one fit to be judge, for God alone looks into the heart with eyes of infinite wisdom and compassion. if you think that talk of condemnation will keep some one else from committing suicide you are wrong, for such talk denies hope, and to deny hope is to deny Christ.
therefore, ministers of God when you speak to the living about their dead take care not to mistake "your truth" for the truth. be sure to think and pray before you speak, "for truth without compassion is brutality". if ever people need to hear the good news it is at such a time as this - the good news of the real and living hope we have in Jesus, and the truth that no thing in heaven or on earth can ever separate us from the love of God.
©2011 halley low
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